- Aug. 11: New station opens to greet festival-goers in historic Little Italy
- Aug. 13-16: Crowds flock to Little Italy Festival
- Aug. 16: Free concert set at Dunham Tavern
- Aug. 16: Timetables change for routes
- Aug. 13 & 20: Ride Rapid to pre-season games at FirstEnergy Stadium
- Aug. 1-2: Three festivals kick off month
- Rail shutdowns set, help ensure safety
- Construction starts at Brookpark Rapid Station
- RTA’s 2015 Summer Tour
- Ride RTA to your local farmers market
- Help us make RTA even safer
Aug. 11: New station opens to greet festival-goers in historic Little Italy
The long-awaited RTA Rapid Station in the historic Little Italy neighborhood will open just a few days before thousands of people descend on the area.
The new $17.5 million Little Italy-University Circle Station on the Red Line is slated to open Aug. 11. It will provide the 100,000 Greater Clevelanders expected to attend the annual Feast of the Assumption a great new way to get there.
The station is only a four-minute walk from Holy Rosary Church – the focus of much of the celebration.
“The festival is the busiest time of the year for Little Italy, and we are delighted to have the station open in time for the celebration,” says RTA General Manager Joe Calabrese.
The new station, on Mayfield Road at East 119th Street, will replace the current station several blocks away, on Euclid Avenue at East 120th Street. The old station is functionally obsolete.
Talk of a new station began in 2008, when several local institutions funded a study on transit-oriented development in the area. The new neighborhood-oriented station includes:
- A single platform headhouse and entrance plaza that are ADA accessible.
- A heavy-duty elevator and stairway from the street level to the platform and waiting areas.
- New concrete sidewalks, landscaping, lighting and bridge abutment repairs.
- Reuse of old vault under the railroad bridges as the lobby area. The vault was built in the 1920s as a potential commuter rail station.
- Artistic lighting of the bridges leading to the station.
- Installation of a terrazzo floor with a leaf pattern design by local artist Suzy Mueller Frazier.
- Chandelier sculpture elements in the headhouse designed by artist Jennifer Cecere.
Other new development in that area includes:
- Courtyard by Marriott at University Circle, 2021 Cornell Road.
- The Intensa mixed-use project, with a fall ground-breaking eyed.
- The award-winning Uptown development, an arts and entertainment district in the area bounded by Mayfield Road, Euclid Avenue and East 117th St -- all within an easy walk of the new station.
Aug. 13-16: Crowds flock to Little Italy Festival
More than 100,000 persons are expected to attend the Feast of the Assumption festival, Aug. 13-16, in the historic Little Italy neighborhood.
The event began in 1898. It is centered around Holy Rosary Church, 12021 Mayfield Road.
Mayfield Road will be closed during the event, and parking may be difficult to find. RTA officials expect the new Rapid station to provide access to thousands during the weekend.
Festival hours:
- 6-11 p.m. Thursday
- 6 p.m.-midnight Friday
- Noon-midnight Saturday. The Feast Day Mass begins at 10 a.m. Saturday, followed by a procession.
- Noon-11 p.m. Sunday. The event ends with Mass, another procession and fireworks.
Aug. 16: Free concert set at Dunham Tavern
RTA is helping to sponsor a free outdoor concert by the Cleveland Opera Theater at 6 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 16, at the historic Dunham Tavern Museum, 6709 Euclid Ave. – just steps away from the HealthLine.
Dunham Tavern is the oldest building in Cleveland still standing on its original site. A former stagecoach stop on the well-traveled Buffalo-Cleveland-Detroit post road, the 1824 building is on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Cleveland Opera Theater is a non-profit organization that is making MidTown Cleveland its new home.
Aug. 16: Timetables change for routes
Some RTA bus and train timetables will change on Sunday, Aug. 16.
Riders can pick up new timetables for the Red Line and the Blue/Green Line, 1, 10, 14, 15, 16, 20, 28, 38, 41/41F, 45/45A, 77F, 79A/B, 83, 90F, 751/752 and 761. Many changes deal with the start of the new school year.
The service change also affects the B-Line, C-Line, E-Line and L-Line trolley, but timetables are not printed for trolley routes. Sept. 7 is the last day of operation for the L-Line trolley, which serves the Lakefront on weekends. The Waterfront Line also provides service to Lakefront attractions.
Where to obtain new timetables
• Go to www.rideRTA.com/schedules.
• Data on RTA’s trip planner will be updated before Aug. 16.
• Stop by RTA’s Main Office, 1240 W. 6th St.
• Visit RTA's Customer Service Center at the Tower City Station.
• To order a timetable by mail, call the RTAnswerline, 216-621-9500.
New real-time route information will be available when the changes are effective.
Aug. 13 & 20: Ride Rapid to pre-season games at FirstEnergy Stadium
The Rapid provides your best seat to both Browns pre-season games this month at FirstEnergy Stadium. The games are:
- 8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 13, vs the Washington Redskins.
- 8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 20, vs the Buffalo Bills.
RTA provides extra rail service on both days. RTA encourages you to buy a $5 All-Day Pass, which helps with crowd flow after the game. The All-Day Pass is good for unlimited rides until 3 a.m. If you plan to celebrate downtown after the game, this is the ticket for you.
Before the game, park free at an RTA Rapid Station. Ride the Rapid into Tower City, and ride the Waterfront Line to the West Third Street Station – right across the street from FirstEnergy Stadium.
After the game, service will be provided to take you home.
Aug. 1-2: Three festivals kick off month
The last month of summer vacation begins with three great weekend festivals. Ride RTA to each event.
Puerto Rican Parade and Festival
The name has been changed to the Latino Arts & Culture Festival of Greater Cleveland, but the fun is the same. More than 25,000 persons are expected to attend this free event, with plenty of family-oriented activities.
The festival runs from noon-midnight on Saturday, Aug. 1, and noon-10 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 2, at the Municipal Parking Lot, 1500 South Marginal Road, near RTA’s South Harbor Station on the Waterfront Line.
Waterfront Line service will be extended Saturday to include all festival hours.
Sunday’s events include a 1:30 p.m. parade.
Warehouse District Street Festival
Part of West Sixth Street will close from noon-8 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 2. Enjoy live music, food from local restaurants, open houses and children’s events.
The festival is a short walk from the Tower City Rapid Station. C-Line Trolleys will also operate that day.
Cleveland World Festival
This multi-cultural event runs from 11 a.m.- 9 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 2, in the Cultural Gardens along Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., between St. Clair and Superior avenues. To reach the event on RTA, ride the 1 route on St. Clair Avenue, or the 3 route on Superior Avenue. More than 20,000 persons are expected to celebrate Cleveland’s 120 ethnic groups. The free event features international singing and dancing on 3 stages, plus ethnic food and children’s activities.
Rail shutdowns set, help ensure safety
Safety is always RTA’s top priority. Ensuring safety for rail means that service has to shut down for a few days, so work can be completed.
RTA staff continues to prepare for future rail shutdowns.
Buses replace East Side Blue Line and Green Line trains on weekends for bridge work on East 81 & East 83 streets, and work on the South Park grade crossing – Aug. 1-2, 8-9, 22-23, 29-30.
Construction starts at Brookpark Rapid Station
Changes continue as the popular Brookpark Station begins an $11.4 million makeover.
The tunnel connecting the east parking lot to the wooden walkway has been demolished.
- All ADA parking from the east lot has been removed. ADA customers should park in the west lot.
- To reach the rail platform, customers use a new sidewalk that has been built along Brookpark Road. A four-foot high barrier wall protects them from vehicular traffic and road splash. Improved lights were installed under the overpass.
The new facility is expected to open in mid-2016. It remains open during construction.
Customers can also use nearby Rapid stations. Lots at Puritas and Triskett have excess parking capacity.
RTA’s 2015 Summer Tour
Wade Oval Wednesdays (WOW), 6-9 p.m.
- Aug. 5: Son Gitano, Latin/salsa
- Aug. 12: The Soul Men, blues/rock/dance, movie Big Hero 6
- Aug. 19: That 80s Band, 80s music
- Aug. 26: Ohio Weather Band, roots rock band
Edgewater Live, 5:30-8:30 p.m. Thursdays
- Aug. 6, Brigid’s Cross
- Aug. 13, Revolution Pie, Beatles music
- Aug. 20, Replaces July 9 event, which was rained out
Friday-Saturday Tribe home games
Concert begins 1 hour before game starts
- Aug. 7-8, 7:10 p.m., Minnesota Twins
- Aug. 28-29, 7:10 p.m., Los Angeles Angels
Ride RTA to your local farmers market
Clevelanders are fortunate to have many farmers markets to choose from. RTA buses and trains provide service to many of them. Here are three where the RTA access is especially convenient. All are operated by the North Union Farmers Market.
Cleveland Clinic
• 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Wednesdays, through Oct. 14
• Near the Crile Building, 2049 East 100th St.
• Ride the HealthLine to Euclid Avenue at East 100th Street
PlayhouseSquare
• 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Thursdays, through Sept. 17
• U.S. Bank Plaza, Euclid Avenue at East 14th Street
• Ride the HealthLine or the E-Line trolley
Shaker Square
• 8 a.m.-noon Saturdays, through Dec. 19
• Ride the Blue Line or Green Line to the Shaker Square Station
Help us make RTA even safer
Transit Police are on duty 24/7, and RTA operates more than 4,000 security cameras on buses, trains and Rapid stations. If you are anywhere on RTA property, assume that you are on camera.
RTA is safe, and you can help make RTA even safer.
- Remain aware of your surroundings. Don’t get so caught up in your cell phone call that you miss something important right next to you.
- Secure your electronic devices. Across the nation, thieves like to “grab and run”. Keep your devices where they will not be a target.
- If you see something, say something. Call 216-566-5163. Add this number to speed dial on your cell phone. Call Transit Police 24/7 if you see something that appears to be suspicious or out of the ordinary.
- Sign up for iWatch RTA -- a free app that allows you to communicate with Transit Police anonymously. The app is available on iPhone and Android. You can send texts, emails, photos and video.
Don't have a smartphone? If it’s not an emergency, call or text Transit Police at 216-575-3937.
Thanks for being RTA’s eyes and ears. Your support is appreciated.